Exercise apparatus which simulate walking, running and stair climbing are well known. Running and walking exercise apparatus typically comprise an inclined moving belt or treadmill upon which the user walks or runs. Stair climbing or stepping apparatus typically include a pair of hinged pedals upon which a user stands, and in which the pedals are moved up and down by the user shifting his or her weight to simulate stair climbing movement. While conventional exercise apparatus achieve the exercise and movement of the biceps femoris muscle, they are poorly suited to provide toning and exercise the remaining leg muscles used in skating, such as abductors and adductor muscles, the gastrocnemius muscle, the soleusmuscle the gracilis muscle and/or the sartorius muscle.
In an effort to provide an exercise apparatus better adapted to exercise muscles used in skating, U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,658 to Miller et al describes a skate training apparatus which includes a pair of cantilevered support arms which are adapted to support a user's legs in lateral movement. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,935 to Chu describes a skating exercise machine which is adapted to simulate skating movement by the use of a pair of cantilevered supports geared so as to move in an arcuate plane. The exercise apparatus of Chu and Miller, however, suffer the disadvantage in that in their operation, the user's feet are maintained in a generally forward oriented position while moving about a lateral horizontal arc. In contrast, in roller blading or ice skating, an individual typically performs a skating stride whereby the position of each foot during each stride moves so as to turn outwardly, to provide an increased thrust force.
Heretofore, conventional skate training apparatus suffer the further disadvantage in that they are poorly suited to mimic the forward motion achieved in skating movement. In particular, as prior art skating devices are adapted to provide lateral movement substantially in a horizontal plane, conventional skating exercise apparatus fail to account for the change in leg and foot position experienced by a skater during actual forward movement. Furthermore, conventional skating exercise devices which operate to move the user's leg only in a horizontal plane as the user's leg moves outwardly, may result in increased stressing on the user's Achilles and/or fibularis tendons.